Therapy and prophylaxis of opportunistic infections in HIV-infected patients: a guideline by the German and Austrian AIDS societies (DAIG/ÖAG) (AWMF 055/066).

INTRODUCTION: There was a growing need for practical guidelines for the most common OIs in Germany and Austria under consideration of the local epidemiological conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The German and Austrian AIDS societies developed these guidelines between March 2010 and November 2011. A structured Medline research was performed for 12 diseases, namely Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia, cerebral toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus manifestations, candidiasis, herpes simplex virus infections, varizella zoster virus infections, progressive multifocal leucencephalopathy, cryptosporidiosis, cryptococcosis, nontuberculosis mycobacteria infections and tuberculosis. Due to the lack of evidence by randomized controlled trials, part of the guidelines reflects expert opinions. The German version was accepted by the German and Austrian AIDS Societies and was previously published by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften (AWMF; German Association of the Scientific Medical Societies). CONCLUSION: The review presented here is a translation of a short version of the German-Austrian Guidelines of opportunistic infections in HIV patients. These guidelines are well-accepted in a clinical setting in both Germany and Austria. They lead to a similar treatment of a heterogeneous group of patients in these countries.

[First exchange of experiences concerning the H1N1 pandemic in Germany 2009/2010: report on a workshop held March 22-23, 2010, in Berlin]. / Erster Erfahrungsaustausch zur H1N1-Pandemie in Deutschland 2009/2010: Bericht über einen Workshop am 22. und 23. März 2010 in Berlin.

In April 2009 the first pandemic of the 21st century developed within a few weeks starting from Mexico. Its first wave reached Germany in autumn 2009 and was responsible for 1.8-3.5 million additional medical consultations. For the public health sector, this pandemic was one of the largest challenges of the last few decades. As a contribution to broader evaluations on national and international level, the Robert Koch Institute invited representatives from different professions involved in the pandemic response to participate in a workshop on 22-23 March 2010. This workshop was structured in short presentations, group work, and plenary discussions. Main experiences were that (a) pandemic preparedness was helpful, (b) the early warning systems were reliable, (c) vaccines were available within a few months, however, in limited amounts. Need for improvement was discussed for (a) effectiveness of vaccination logistics, (b) mechanisms for the reimbursement of the cost of vaccination, (c) availability of surveillance and monitoring systems, (d) integration of physicians in decision-making processes and health education, and (e) proactive communication strategies. Investments in the above mentioned areas can help to improve public health protection in the future.